Certification from Ministry of Public Security enables Sophos
to deliver anti-virus protection to Chinese businesses
Sophos, a world leader in anti-virus protection for businesses,
announced today that its award-winning anti-virus software has been
certified for use in Mainland China. Issued by the Chinese Ministry
of Public Security, the certification enables Sophos to market and
distribute its anti-virus solutions for Microsoft Windows
platforms. Sophos's partner in China, Data World Computer &
Communications Ltd, will be responsible for these activities.
"The expansion into Mainland China is a key step in our
aggressive campaign to increase our market share worldwide," said
Dr Jan Hruska, joint founder and CEO of Sophos Anti-Virus. "The
potential demand for anti-virus protection in China is
overwhelming. Participation in this strategic market will help us
grow our business well in excess of the natural growth of the
anti-virus market."
According to a survey conducted by the Chinese Ministry of
Public Security in October 2002, 84 percent of respondents stated
that their computers had suffered a virus attack, up from 74
percent in 2001. The survey also revealed that 64 percent of
respondents had lost data as a result of a virus. The survey,
carried out by the Ministry's National Computer Virus Emergency
Response Centre, had analysed the data of more than 6,000
respondents.
"Sophos can now assist these companies in protecting their
systems against computer viruses," said Charles Cousins, managing
director of Sophos Anti-Virus Asia. "With Sophos's superior
anti-virus technology and Data World's local expertise, we are
confident that corporations, government and educational
institutions will benefit greatly from this partnership."
Reports from IDC, a world-leading provider of industry analysis,
state the Chinese software market is worth $6 billion (US), of
which security software accounts for 34 percent. IDC added that
several factors drive this market, such as greater awareness of
security needs, upcoming e-government projects and increased demand
of mid-range business market.
"Sophos Anti-Virus is a preferred choice for many organisations
around the world," stated K K Ho, executive director of Data World.
"We welcome the opportunity to offer Sophos products to businesses
in China through our channel partners located in Beijing, Shanghai,
Shenzhen and Dongguan. We are confident that Sophos Anti-Virus will
exceed the expectations of companies in China."
Sophos Anti-Virus provides cross-platform protection in a
single, fully integrated product. Its network-centric design
provides a single point of installation, updating and policy
control across a complete enterprise - including across multiple
locations and across combinations of servers, workstations and
notebook computers. The company has built its reputation from a
strong and loyal global customer base. More than 60 percent of the
company's worldwide turnover now comes from outside the UK.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.